


the reluctant part

by ebonynightwriter



Series: Waava Week 2017 [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Goodbyes, One-Shot, Waava Week 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2019-01-18 11:42:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12387396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ebonynightwriter/pseuds/ebonynightwriter
Summary: The line beside them grows shorter. His legs are stiff. //“It’s for the best.”





	the reluctant part

**Author's Note:**

> **A/N:** This was is actually the beginning of a longer story I started waaaaay back in 2015 ~~(that got 17 freaking pages long >.>)~~ so since it's be unlikely that it will see the light of day, I've decided to put the beginning here as a standalone fic since I still like how it turned out! :)
> 
> -.-
> 
>  **[waava week (2017) // day 1](http://ebonynightwriter.tumblr.com/tagged/mine:%20waava%20week%202017)** · fresh start
> 
> -.-

He never imagined there would be this many – but after ten-thousand years to come and go as they pleased, his only surprise now was how they managed to gather so quickly. It had only been a few months since Harmonic Convergence ended, and Wan had been hard at work, travelling the world to convince the spirits that it was time to go back to their real home.

Of course, many of them weren’t too eager to take orders from a _human_ , but with Aye-Aye and the rest of the Oasis spirits at his side, he found their numbers did more than enough to persuade even the most stubborn of spirits to head south. They came across the farthest reaches of the world, stretching over the frozen hills in lines so long Wan couldn’t see the end of them.

But that would come soon enough.

Wan plants his feet at the edge of the portal’s clearing as the spirits step into the portal’s bright glow, one after another, crossing into their world with a flash of white light. Most of them don’t spare him a glance, but the ones who do stare until they reach the portal. His time travelling with Raava had barely been a year, but it was enough to spread tales and rumors even to the spirits. Either they had heard these legends of a man among the spirits, or they’d simply never encountered one before.

The spirits stare, and Wan looks away, pulling his scarf over the front of his nose, the tips of his fingers chilled in the passing wind. His legs are stiff from standing so long, and he wishes now that he’d taken the walk along the northern line instead of Aye-Aye, so he could step against the numbers and avoid their gawking eyes. But they’d both agreed it’d be faster and, as if his thoughts were a message, Aye-Aye appears at his side in a flash of blue wisps.

“We’re nearing the last of them,” his old friend says, looking at the portal. “Just a little more to go.”

“Thank you for all your help,” Wan replies, pulling the scarf down a ways. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Aye-Aye nods firmly at him before titling his head to the sky, watching as wingless spirits glide into the portal. Wan follows his gaze to the beam as a great whale spirit sweeps over the hill ahead of them, the echoes of a song escaping from its unseen mouth. Aye-Aye folds his arms over his chest.

“With the humans starting to leave the Lion Turtles,” the spirit says. “I suppose it was time for us to go back sooner or later.”

The whale spirit glides to the portal slowly, kicking up a whirlwind of dust and fallen bark from the nearby trees. It enters moments later with a bright burst of light, and the song fading in the wind. Wan closes his eyes and breathes deep as the vibrations leaves his chest, and when he opens them he finds Aye-Aye in the same position as before, yellow eyes fixed on the place the spirit disappeared. A swell of emotion grows in Wan’s chest, and a question bites at the tip of his tongue – one he knows the answer to.

The line beside them grows shorter. He asks anyway.

“Are you going to miss it?”

Aye-Aye blinks at the question, slowly lowering his gaze from the portal. Wan puts his hand on Aye-Aye’s long arm, and the spirit’s ears lower ever-so slightly, his lips drawing to a thin line as he lifts his head again. The rest of the Oasis spirits stand in their view now, gathered around the portal to greet the spirits as they leave the world. Despite the sadness he’s feeling, looking at his friend’s smiles, waving at each and every spirit as it passes through the blue stream, makes him feel better about this. Chu Li, the friendly green spirit with leaves growing out of his head sees Wan and Aye-Aye looking at them, and waves to them enthusiastically.

A small smile grows on Wan’s face, and he waves back weakly.

“You should talk to them too,” Aye-Aye says as Wan’s hand goes to his side again. “They’ll miss you the most.”

Even if he doesn’t want to, he finds himself grinning at Aye-Aye’s words.

“What does that mean?” he asks, tilting his head. “You’re not going to miss me?”

Aye-Aye’s head shoots up in the air at his question, his neck stretching as far as it can go. He stares for merely a second, brow tight and drawn together before he lowers his head away from Wan and the portal, looking for some kind of answer.

“Well,” he says with his usual tone of snark. “I’m not going to start crying your pathetic _human_ tears. If _that’s_ what you’re asking.”

Wan chuckles, and the last of the spirits finally step into the clearing. They enter quickly, without an ounce of hesitation, leaving him and Aye-Aye and Mula to stand alone within the clearing, standing on the edge of another world.

Then, Aye-Aye steps forward.

It’s a surprising, almost humorous turn that just a few short years ago he was being tossed around by the lemur spirit. Now he was standing before portal, bowing his head to him as they parted ways for the last time. Wan breathes softly, folding his hands together as he returns the gesture, and after a brief moment the portal flashes again. Wan stands tall with Mula by his side, staring at the column as it hums, weaving with energy.

And he waits.

It flares moments later as she flies from the light, wrapping around the geyser of energy once before settling to the ground in front of him. She’s larger now, the markings across her near-transparent form returning to their intricate blue design, and she towers over him like the mountains in the distance. It brings to Wan a sense of awe, and a bitter taste.

“What will you do now?” he asks, breaking the small silence around them. “Now that it’s over?”

“I will keep watch over Vaatu,” she replies. “To make sure he does not escape.”

He looks to the ground, resting a hand against his hip. “Back to the usual, huh?”

“What about you?” she asks, leaning herself slightly to him. He raises his head with a hard look on his face, as if he’d never considered the question.

Which, he did… just not all that much.

“I’m not sure,” he says, hand at the back of his neck. “I’ve been living with spirits for so long – it’d be strange to go back to living with people. I guess I’ll roam around, or something. Until I figure out what to do.”

She says nothing, and he waits a moment, his arm sliding back to his side as he adds: _“I could come with you.”_

“That would not be wise,” Raava says. “The spirit realm is vastly different to yours. And once I close the portals, there will be no guarantee that they will ever open again.”

“But I could help you,” he steps forward. “Vaatu may be locked away, but he’s _still_ powerful. If he were to escape and find a way back to the human world–”

“Then I will keep him under control the same way I have done for the last ten-thousand years,” she says, speaking in a sure tone that makes him stop in his tracks. “You should have more faith in me, Wan. I have grown stronger in the brief time that Vaatu has become imprisoned, and will continue to do so long as he stays that way and the worlds are kept in balance.”

Wan crosses his arms in thought.

“Then I’ll help keep the balance on this side,” he says. “Whether it’s ten, fifty or a hundred years – I’ll do whatever I can to guide mankind to peace.”

“Your part in this fight is over,” she says. “You should live out the remainder of your life as any human would.”

“I’m not like other humans,” he says the hint of a smirk on the corners of his mouth. “Don’t you remember?”

She bends forward, sighing contently. “I suppose you are right.”

His smiles grows wider as he looks at her, and lessens with his gaze. He takes a deep breath, clenching his hands into fists at his side.

“Goodbye, Raava,” he says, raising to face her. “Thanks for everything.”

Raava leans forward again.

“Goodbye, Wan.”

Before he can say anything more, she lifts into the air. Flying around the column for a moment, she dives into it, flashing with another burst of light. The wind bellows around as the light grows dimmer, until the portal was nothing more than a small dome at its base. Then all at once, it is over – the portal is closed. Numb, Wan stands for a moment, watching the orb of energy swirl.

Then, fingers clenched, he walks away.

_It’s for the best._


End file.
